"It's disappointing with a bland design and a camera that just can't compete with other devices in the same price range."
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Excellent performance
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Smooth software
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Stunning display
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Boring design
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Camera still needs work
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Rising prices
A lot has changed in the smartphone industry over the past year. While OnePlus was once the go-to place for those who wanted a flagship experience a few hundred dollars less than the competition, others got it. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, for example, took the best things about the Galaxy S20 but sold them for just $ 700. Then came the Samsung Galaxy S21, which starts at $ 800, $ 200 less than its predecessor. Google's Pixel 5 is only $ 700, the iPhone 12 a palatable $ 800.
In other words, the price alone makes the OnePlus 9 not a flagship killer. The price is on the lower end of the flagship range and as such it has to compete on its merits.
I'm not trying to imply that it's not competing. With features like the latest and greatest processor, a beautiful screen, and a great software experience, the OnePlus 9 brings a lot to the table. Not to mention that there is also a OnePlus 9 Pro that we tested separately. He takes the OnePlus 9 and expands its features to 11. But let's get into that the OnePlus 9.
If you are interested in the OnePlus 9 Pro, which is more expensive but also technically a bit more powerful, read our in-depth review.
Design and display
The OnePlus 8T represented a number of changes for the company, but the OnePlus 9 is a lot more iterative. It's not the same as the 8T – but you'll be forgiven for thinking it. It has the flat screen of the OnePlus 8T and a rectangular camera module on the top left on the back. Both differ from the OnePlus 8 a year ago.
It's not a bad look, but it's a boring look. It looks like a Samsung Galaxy S20 – which is fine, but not that exciting in a world where Samsung has made a number of design improvements to the Galaxy S21 that help make it both unique and incredibly elegant looks like.
The OnePlus 9 has a glass back, but it feels a little cheap to me, and I thought it was plastic at first, although maybe that's because of its light weight. It is also easy to fingerprint and, as such, quickly loses its glossy appearance. To be honest, I prefer the look and feel of the Galaxy S21's plastic, which can be seen as frosted glass at a glance.
However, there are aspects of the OnePlus 9 design that I love. The most important among these is the physical ringtone switch. Yes, it's a small feature, but I wish more Android phone manufacturers would adopt it. I wish it had been swapped for the left-mounted volume rocker, as you'll likely use the power button more than the ringtone button, but that's a minor complaint and you will get used to the layout easily.
However, there are aspects of the OnePlus 9 design that I love. The most important among these is the physical ringtone switch.
Another thing I love about the OnePlus 9 is the display. It's a 6.55-inch AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120 Hz and it looks great. Thanks to the high refresh rate and modern processor, the phone looks and feels incredibly responsive. So much so that you don't really notice that the display has a resolution of 1,080p rather than the 1,440p of the OnePlus 9 Pro. You can tell a little difference between the phones when placed next to each other. However, the OnePlus 9 proves that a high refresh rate is more important than high resolution for good reason. Samsung has found that out too.
The display also gets nice and bright and is easily visible outdoors. According to OnePlus, the display brightness is 1,100 nits, which is slightly less than the 1,300 nits of the OnePlus 9 Pro. Still, it's very bright and I never really wished it would get lighter.
Unfortunately, the device doesn't have the 1 Hz to 120 Hz variable refresh rate that is available on the OnePlus 9 Pro, but it does go from 60 Hz to 120 Hz, which is still great and helps reduce battery consumption a bit.
There is a fingerprint sensor under the display that works great. The sensor is fast and accurate and makes it easy to access your phone. The display is a bit low, which makes it a bit awkward to bend your thumb to reach – but you will get used to the placement.
Power, battery and charging
OnePlus phones were never really about their looks. It was about features for the price – and that includes the technical data under the hood. As you'd expect from a flagship phone in 2021, the OnePlus 9 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor that is paired with 8GB or 12GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage, depending on the model. I'm reviewing the model with 12GB of RAM
Thanks to the combination of high-end processor, high refresh rate and relatively light software, the OnePlus 9 works like a dream. In mobile gaming, it loaded quickly and rarely skipped a frame. During the heavy multitasking, the device responded quickly and quickly. If you are looking for a high performer, the OnePlus 9 is for you.
The battery life of the OnePlus 9 is okay. It has a 4,500 mAh battery that can keep you working a full day, and possibly a few hours until the next day if you miss a charge overnight. It's not a sucker, but it's not a multi-day phone.
However, it doesn't have to be a multi-day phone. OnePlus' Warp Charge technology is getting better and better and can now charge the OnePlus 9 from 0 to 100% in around 30 minutes. In other words, if you toss it on the charger during a morning shower, it should get most of its battery life back. This is pretty amazing and removes the fear of other phones battery life. Of course, the OnePlus Warp charger must be used, but you get one that came with the phone. Additional stones will be Reset $ 65 each.
For the first time, the base model of a OnePlus phone also supports wireless charging, which was previously limited to the “Pro” models. The OnePlus 9 supports up to 50 watts of wireless charging. However, to take full advantage of this, you'll need to purchase OnePlus' new Warp Charge 50 wireless charger for a whopping $ 70. Fortunately, you can still use standard Qi chargers even though they charge more slowly.
Camera quality
If you look at the back of the OnePlus 9, you'll see the name of another brand: Hasselblad. The two decided on the color matching of the OnePlus 9 camera. There is a difference between the color matching on the OnePlus 9 and the previous generation OnePlus 8, but the OnePlus 9 also has new hardware that makes it a little difficult to tell the differences.
The OnePlus 9 has a triple camera system with a 48-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 2-megapixel monochrome camera that is used for depth and level of detail. It's really unfortunate that there isn't a telephoto camera here, especially when you consider that the Galaxy S21 manages to fit one into its setup (although it is referred to as a "telephoto") for a similar price.
Ultimately, pictures taken with the OnePlus 9 aren't bad. They are not quite as colorful as those of a Galaxy S21, for example, and they also do not have as many details. Additionally, the camera isn't as consistent – sometimes it takes better photos than sometimes, despite being in a very similar situation. Still, they're not bad.
Unfortunately, at $ 730, not bad is still not good enough. In a world with the Galaxy S21, Pixel 5 and iPhone 12, the OnePlus 9 is still inadequate. But it seems like it will make things better – a software update during this verification process improved the camera quality quite a bit. Hopefully this trend will continue, although you should never buy a phone in the hopes that it will improve in the future.
The front-facing camera is 16 megapixels and is pretty good again – but by no means revolutionary. Photos taken with it appear to have decent contrast. They're not necessarily that detailed, but they do the job for an average selfie.
Unfortunately, at $ 730, not bad is still not good enough.
There are some things that I really appreciate about the OnePlus 9's camera. OnePlus has worked hard to take better photos in low light, and while the phone doesn't compete with any other device, it is leaps and bounds better than the OnePlus 8. Plus, the OnePlus 9 lets you take macro photos with the ultrawide camera like the Galaxy S21. This is a handy feature, and it means OnePlus can avoid shipping the inferior macro camera that other companies (including OnePlus previously) were fond of.
Software experience
If there's one thing that OnePlus has pinned down it's software. The phone comes with OnePlus OxygenOS 11 which is based on Android 11.
OxygenOS has moved further and further away from standard Android in general, but still offers a stripped-down experience that is smooth and easy to navigate. I like most of the improvements OnePlus has made to the software, such as the more consistent look and feel of the Settings app and the Quick Settings menu. Dark mode now looks and works great in both the core software and the OnePlus apps.
OxygenOS finally offers a solid always-on display. This feature was introduced on OxygenOS 11 and was available on OnePlus 8T. It provides an overview of information such as battery life, time and weather. It's similar to everyone else's permanent display, but it's still convenient that it is there in the first place.
OxygenOS also comes with a number of additional features. In particular, you get the App Locker, with which you need authentication to access certain apps. You also get parallel apps that allow you to install two instances of an app to log into two different accounts. This is great for apps that don't already let you sign in to multiple accounts. On OnePlus phones, you can still access the OnePlus shelf, which has quick information like the weather, deep links to some apps, the number of steps you took, and a lot more. For first-time OnePlus users, it may take a while to get used to using Shelf. However, if you do, it can be quite useful.
Our opinion
The OnePlus 9 is a strange version. It's a good phone. With top-notch performance, a fantastic display, and a great software experience, there is definitely a niche for it. But it's disappointing with a bland design and a camera that just can't compete with other devices in the same price range.
It really is a shame, especially given the software experience. You'll have a hard time finding another phone at a price that's as fast and as clean in terms of software as the OnePlus 9. This is in stark contrast to the Galaxy S21, which is fast but is cumbersome and more expensive bloated software.
At $ 730, the OnePlus 9 It's just not enough to have a full experience that is in line with the price. Hence, I recommend many users look elsewhere for this amount of money.
Is there a better alternative?
Yes. Chief among these alternatives is the Samsung Galaxy S21which has similar performance and display quality, looks much better, and has a much better camera. If you want an Android phone in the $ 700- $ 800 range, this is the place to go. On the clean and simple side, but with a smaller display and specs, you can buy the Google Pixel 5 for similar money. Alternatively, you can get the last generation Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, which isn't quite as powerful but still has a great display and probably a better camera than the OnePlus 9. It costs only $ 600.
Of course, there's another phone in this price range that's worth considering: The iPhone 12. It offers some of the best performance you can get from a smartphone, and it will probably work just as well in three years as we are used to from OnePlus phones. It offers a clean software experience in iOS and has an excellent camera. The only real downside is the display, which looks nice but doesn't have a high refresh rate like the OnePlus 9 and Galaxy S21. And switching ecosystems can be a deal breaker for some people.
Last but not least is the OnePlus 9 Pro. If you really like the OnePlus style, you can pay $ 970 for a higher resolution display and telephoto camera. You still get the same processing power and software experience. It is up to you to decide for yourself whether these things are worth the extra money.
How long it will take
The OnePlus 9 works just as well as any other flagship of 2021, so it should last at least three years before it really slows down. It's made of glass, so you should probably put it in a case to protect it from drops and bumps.
Should you buy one?
No. The OnePlus 9 is not enough to justify its price. Instead, you should get a Samsung Galaxy S21, S20 FE, iPhone 12, or Pixel 5.
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